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Friday, December 28, 2012

So Long 2012!

Someone kept his resolution!

I enjoy winter time. We really do live in a gorgeous part of the world for it! This year in particular I have found myself captivated by the beauty of it. If you have driven from Tumbler Ridge to Dawson Creek this winter, you'll know what I'm talking about. Everything is pure white, even the trees. On a clear day with a blue sky, we would be hard pressed to find anything more beautiful!
Despite some of the bitter cold temperatures we have had, I have enjoyed it immensely! That is, until about boxing day. As stunning as our winters can be, I think almost everyone would agree that they last much too long for our liking. It doesn't take very long after Christmas for winter to feel like it's dragging on forever, does it?
The only thing that makes the next few months of snow and cold bearable is that we have a fresh start to a New Year. Ok, maybe it doesn't help a lot, but it does a little bit at least, right? A fresh new year, with new opportunities, new goals, new life.
The goals...ah yes, resolutions. I think we all set them, to one degree or another, and maybe some do stick to their resolutions. I remember last year seeing one friend's status update that she had actually stuck to an entire year of not drinking pop. It was pretty cool to see that someone had done it!
I've also seen many of my friends lose weight this year. I'm not sure if all of them had made a resolution to or not, but I am still proud of them for doing it! I've lost about 20 pounds in the past year, and I know how great it feels to not carry that around any more!

This year, there are definitely things in my life that I want to improve, like my organizational skills, my gardening skills, and my parenting skills. I haven't yet set them as specific goals yet, but I have a pretty good idea of what they will include. For example, I will work as much as I can with my 2 year old to be able to say her "s" sound so she stops saying "sock" with a hard "c" sound at the front. That should eliminate some of the embarrassment when my daughter belts out that word in public, hey? Also included in that category would be spending more quality time with the older two girls. I feel like since they started school I just don't get the one on one time with them that I used to. Maybe we will take them to Maui by themselves. Say, January 4th? Sounds like a plan to me! Wow, I'm getting a great start on these resolutions already!

While a majority of resolutions are broken within a week of the New Year, I still think it is important to set goals in our lives. Even if it's not a "resolution" made by January 1st, little goals throughout the year can really add up! An example from my life would be: in 2012, I made a goal to have a successful garden (after 8 years of wildly unsuccessful ones!), even if it was small. I happen to have a 3x10 raised planting box in my yard, so I decided to plant ONLY that, nothing more. I planted only a few vegetables, but I kept them watered and weeded, and they got plenty of love and attention from the kids. It worked! For the first time since I got married, I managed to grow a garden that was not choked out by weeds or shrivelled like a raisin. For two entire meals, we enjoyed every bite of the fresh veggies. Maybe this year my goal will be to grow enough for four meals!
As 2013 quickly approaches, whether you a resolution keeper or breaker, I encourage you to make at least one or two small, attainable goals sometime throughout the year and do them! Whether it's reading a book that you have been wanting to read, or finally running the Emperor's Challenge, you will feel such a sense of accomplishment knowing you stuck to it! Happy New Year everyone!